Douglas, Tommy

Douglas, Tommy

 orig. Thomas Clement Douglas

(born Oct. 20, 1904, Falkirk, Stirlingshire, Scot.—died Feb. 24, 1986, Ottawa, Ont., Can.) Scottish-born Canadian politician. His family immigrated to Winnipeg in 1919. An ordained minister, he became active in the socialist Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, and he served in the Canadian Parliament (1935–44). As premier of Saskatchewan (1944–61), he led Canada's first socialist government. He established a system of state-run health care in the province, the first such system in the nation; for this he is considered the father of socialized medicine in Canada. He resigned in 1961 to become leader of the New Democratic Party, a post he held until 1971.